Summer Love
by indigo-chica
Summary: Rory discovers that being a counselor in summer camp isn't all that easy, especially when there are snotty kids, Paris, Jess AND Tristan involved. Read & Review! TRORY!
1. Intro

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Okay, another new fic out… 

Since sports is practically my religion, I'm going to have Rory quite fond of sports in this fic. 

Chapter 1: Intro

Rory Gilmore's seventeenth birthday had come and passed, and her grandparents had given her a gift that she couldn't appreciate more. It was a four wheel drive, tough and steady, and although it wasn't a pretty sight compared to the more compact and sleek BMWs and Mercedes on offer, she still loved it. It was black, a contrast from her mother's white one and it had a V8 engine that purred like a baby. It also meant that she could send the car that her ex-boyfriend Dean Forester had given her to the scrap metal yard. She kept the four wheel drive in top shape and loved to show it off. 

Rory jumped out of the car and got out her canvas bags that contained her necessities for the rest of the summer. She hoped she had packed everything. She walked into the conference room, and saw that she was early. Only Linda and Andrew, the owners of this establishment were there, getting ready the clipboards and lists for the counselors. Linda and her were second cousins or something like that. She smiled as she saw them work with each other. They were perfect, always having disagreements, but also giving in once in a while. They have been married for over 20 years. She saw them as one of the best examples of a couple around. 

She cleared her throat, and they turned around to look at her. Linda's jaw dropped in surprise.

"Is that you, Rory dear?"

Rory smiled. "Same old me."

Andrew grinned. "You look different… you grew your hair out didn't you?"

Rory bit her lip. "Does it look okay?"

Linda engulfed her in a huge bear hug. "You look so pretty I barely recognize you. The last time we saw you was what… 5 years ago? You were all skin and bones then."

Rory blushed gracefully. "Thanks for allowing me to be a counselor here. It'd look good on my college application."

Linda shook her head. "That's all you youngsters care about nowadays. Does my bum look big in this? Does this shade of pink suit me?"

Rory's eyebrow quirked. "Okay. Who are the other counselors then?"

Linda laughed. "There are ten counselors altogether, but that's all that you're going to get out of me. They're all going to arrive here today. Go unpack now, you know that you're in charge of Cabin G5, right?"

"Yeah. Might as well."

She went out the back, and saw someone picking up some wood and dumping it in a pile on the floor. He was of average height, and had muscles that rippled nicely each time he moved. He was dressed only in a tight black t-shirt and shorts. He was quite cute actually, thought Rory, from the back view. She observed him for a while longer. He turned around as he heard something moving and saw Rory staring at him. He smiled widely in recognition. 

"Rory?" he said, his voice carrying all the way to where she stood.

Rory's heart fell to the bottom of her feet and bounced up into her throat as she realized exactly who she had been admiring. Jess Mariano, previous bad boy resident of Stars Hollow. 

"Jess?" she queried. "What are you doing here?"

Jess smiled. "I'm a counselor."

"What?" Rory was beyond disbelief. The last time she saw Jess was when she had went to New York to see him, and that was it. They didn't exactly lose touch as they did exchange greeting cards during the holiday seasons, but she had no idea that he was going to be here. If she did, she wondered whether she'd still want to be a counselor or not.

Jess put down the pile of wood he was carrying and brushed his hands off on his shorts. He walked over to her, and gave her a comfortable hug. "Never thought you'd see the day when Jess Mariano was counselor, eh?"

Rory grinned. "That's right." 

He stepped back and looked her over. Jess shrugged. "Just thought it'd be fun. Besides, they needed a martial arts instructor and since I have a black belt in Karate, I signed up."

"Oh," she paused. "How have you been?"

Jess shrugged. "New York will always be New York, but I needed a fresh change of scenery. Can't get any better than the great outdoors, right?"

Rory smiled. "Yeah, I love it here. It's so peaceful and rejuvenating." She paused. "It's nice to see you. I better unpack then."

Jess nodded and cocked his head. "See you around."

Rory went to the cabin that was labelled G5 and unpacked. There were two bunk beds and one single twin bed that she figured was hers. So that meant that she would have four happy campers under her surveillance. She hoped that they'd be nice and easy to manage. She looked for her journal, but couldn't find it in any of her luggage. She'd probably left it in her car. She went to the car park and unlocked her car, just in time to hear someone else driving in. She turned her head around and saw a low slung Mercedes drive in. It was red as a ripe tomato, and couldn't possibly seat more than two people at a time. It also screamed out 'big bucks'. 

She waited patiently for the owner to come out of the car, wanting to greet him or her since they were probably a counselor in the camp as well. However, when she saw the person who stepped out of the car, she wished for her to stuff herself back in the car and drive away. This one person had once been the bane of her existence, always knocking her for something that wasn't her fault. She frowned to herself, debating whether or not she should say hello to her, but decided that she had better. After all, she was going to have to work alongside her for two whole months.

She walked towards the girl, taking short steps as she did so. The girl had walked to the boot of her car and was in the process of taking out her luggage when she greeted her. 

"Hi Paris," she muttered.

Paris swung around abruptly and stared at her. "What are you doing here?" 

Rory shrugged. "Probably the same thing you are."

Paris frowned. "This is just great. Not only do I have to spend time around little Hicks, but I also have to spend time with you."

"It can't be that bad," said Rory. "Besides, we could be friends, you know?"

Paris sighed. "Fine." She stuck out her hand and the two of them shook on it.

"You're a counselor, I take it?" asked Paris.

Rory nodded. "Yeah."

Paris took out her last bag and slammed the boot down. "What are you going to be in charge of during the daytime? I'm taking the drama class."

"Oh. I'm doing art, you know a little bit of pottery and painting…"

Paris cocked an eyebrow. "I didn't know you took art."

Rory laughed. "I don't. But I don't mind it, it's fun. I like getting messy and I'm quite good at pottery." She paused. "I'm counselor of Cabin G5, what about you?"

Paris nodded. "Right. I'm counselor of Cabin G3. I had better unpack now. See you later."

Rory said goodbye, and walked away, the journal tucked under her arm. 

She went to the conference room and confronted Linda.

"All right. Do you have something against me or are you just plain lucky?" she asked.

Linda turned around in surprise. "Rory? I thought you're unpacking."

"I already did. Now, back to my original question. I've met two out of the nine counselors that are going to be working with me and guess what? One of them goes to Chilton with me whilst the other one used to live in Stars Hollow."

Linda chortled. "Are you serious?"

Rory frowned. "There's nothing funny about this, as far as I can see."

Linda shrugged. "I seriously did not know that you know them." She looked behind Rory and pointed. "There's another counselor. Maybe you know this one too."

Rory turned around, and her jaw dropped open in surprise. 

"Tristan?" 

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To be continued…

Listen up, folks! I haven't decided whether I want to make this a trory or a literati, so that's where you come in. Vote for your favourite couple, and I'll tally them up. SO REVIEW!!!

There won't be any clear coupling until the 4th chapter or so, but there will be elements of both!


	2. Meeting the other Counselors

**Holy cow! You guys review like nobody's business and I love you for that! The tallied votes are at the end! **

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**Thanks to: Rory Forester **(I'm sorry there's no narco here but I'll try and add Dean into the story. As for adding a chapter you have to upload an html document and it goes on from there. I have no idea what I'm talking about so please ask someone else)**, Jane, Rache, sd, shelly, gilmorgal669, Jane, anonymousthinker, freakazoid, prianka, Valerie, M, Alecia, swansong1463, klara, Cindy, javajunkiegirl, Literati Lover, AEROsnowduckie, Bere, Andrea, trorylover, S, Cassie, Meg, wwg, JeNnIe, Sammy, lilacmoon, sb, klm111a, Sam, Jlo, Loca, bcs l/t, and one anonymous person. *hugs to y'all.**

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**Oh, I've sort of added Daniel and myself into this fic. I don't know why, I just felt like it. **

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Chapter 2: Meeting the other Counselors

Linda gasped. "You know this one as well?" She frowned, looking at the murderous look on Rory's face and decided that she had better get out of the room. "I'm going to help Andrew in the boat house." She then walked out of the room, hoping that the furniture would still be intact when she came back. 

Tristan took off his sunglasses and smiled in incredulity. "Mary?"

She gritted her teeth. "The name is Rory."

Tristan shrugged. "Mary suits you better." He put his bag down on the floor and continued. "Are you a counselor here?"

Rory nodded, not trusting herself to do much else. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the way things are turning out. 

He put on a baseball cap backwards, glanced briefly at her and chuckled. 

"Mary, the tomatoes would be no match for you if you get any redder. Do you know what cabin you're in charge of?"

"Yeah." Rory exhaled. "What are you doing here, DuGrey?"

His eyebrow lifted. "For your information, I'm the new water activities instructor." He glanced towards the direction of the lake. "How about we go for a swim later on today before the screaming kids arrive?"

Rory shook her head. "We can't, remember? It's eleven now, and the rest of the counselors should be here in another hour or so. When they're all here, we're going to get debriefed and then we have to get the place ready for the campers." 

Tristan grinned. "Guess I'll have to see you in your bikini another day then."

"In your dreams, Tristan." He hadn't changed much, but his body had. Military School had meant that he had a perfectly scrumptious body. She could see that the upper half of his body was well buffed since the wife beater he wore didn't actually hide much from her view. He also wore some cargoes, and had on a pair of trainers. Rory punched him lightly on the shoulder, and was surprised when he caught her arm. 

"Mary, I did miss you," he said.

Rory faltered, not knowing what to say. "Really?" She finally choked out.

Tristan nodded. "Yeah."

A smile overtook Rory's features. "Chilton isn't the same without you." She gave him a quick hug, told him she'd see him later and walked off towards the boat house, ready to scold Linda's ears off. 

The ten counselors sat down in the conference room. Rory sat in between Paris and Jess. 

Linda smiled at them all. "As you'll know, my name is Linda, and this," she pointed to the man besides her, "is Andrew. We welcome you to this camp and hope that you have a nice time here. You will be handed three Summer Camp shirts, of which you'll be expected to wear during all camp activities. 

All of you are in charge of different activities, and you'll also have four campers below your belt. You have in front of you a clipboard, map, pencils, and the names of the children who will be in your cabin. You will be expected to take care of them once their daytime activities are over. 

There are twelve outhouses, located strategically around the areas. There will be check-ups on your cabins so you will have to keep it clean and tidy. Well, I think that's it. If you have any questions, you can ask either Andrew or I, we can be found in the General cabin. You can now introduce yourselves to each other whilst I get the shirts."

Linda stood up and headed towards the storage room, Andrew and one of the male counselors in tow. 

Tristan cleared his throat. "Hey, I'm Tristan. I have a great sense of humour and a sexy body." One of the females laughed appreciatively and looked him up and down. Rory frowned, and discovered an uneasy feeling deep in her gut. Jeolousy? Of Tristan's soon-to-be groupies? She scorned that idea, and decided to ignore the fluttering in her stomach. "I go to the military school in North Carolina and will coach the kids on anything that is water related, be it jet skiing or beginner swimming. I'm also counselor for Cabin B2."

The person sitting next to Tristan spoke. He had messy chocolate hair and dark green eyes. He looked sinfully hot. "I'm Trent," he said, his voice deep. "I'm counselor for Cabin B3, and will teach the kids to dance. I love Harleys, so you can get me that for my birthday." 

They laughed, and Tristan socked him. "You wish."

Trent grinned. "I'm also single."

Rory laughed out loud. Here was Tristan's contender for Mr Congeniality. She was sure they would both have female campers all over them. 

The girl sitting on the other side of Jess spoke. "I'm Evelyn, call me Eve. I'm counselor for Cabin G4 and I'm going to be helping Rory with the art stuff. I'm definitely single." She grinned at Trent, Jess and Tristan appreciatively, and licked her lips.

Rory sighed. Obviously, Eve was the slut counselor of Summer Camp. And she was going to be working with Rory. Darn. 

"I'm Paris, I'm counselor for Cabin G3 and will do the Drama daytime activity." She paused. "I go to school with Rory." 

Rory smiled. "That's me. I'm Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, but since that is a mouthful, you all can call me Rory. I go to Chilton Academy and am the arts coach. I'm counselor for Cabin G5 and I'm also addicted to coffee." Neither Jess nor Tristan liked the looks that some of the guys were directing towards Rory. 

"I'm Kaye," said the girl with strawberry blond hair. She had blue eyes and was quite petite. "I will be in charge of the youngest campers, which will take up most of my time. It means that I'm not going to be doing any daytime activities. I'm in charge of Cabin G2." She paused, as if contemplating whether she should say anything else. "I used to be anorexic, and my parents thought it would be help me recover if I'm a counselor here."

Rory looked on in shock and awe. The girl could actually tell other people that she used to be bulimic? Amazing. Although, the first step to recovery was admittance. 

The boy sitting next to Kaye looked a bit like her, although he was taller and wore glasses. "I'm Mark and I'm Kaye's twin. I'm the counselor for Cabin B5 and do the computer related stuff around here. I'm also the undefeated champion for all computer games." 

Rory smiled at him. He looked quite friendly. 

"I'm Jess, counselor for Cabin B1 and I think I'm the freelancer. Linda says I can just help out with anyone who needs help."

Paris looked at him seriously. "I think you should help me out."

Jess grinned at her. "Out of your clothes? Why, it would be a pleasure."

Paris flushed deep red whilst everyone laughed. Although Rory laughed along with them, she couldn't ignore another kick in her gut. She groaned to herself. Jeolous of Jess flirting with Paris? What is the world coming to?

The girl with chin length, glossy black hair and dark brown eyes spoke next. She had a pronounced British accent. "I'm Su-Ann, I have a Malay mother and a British father. I'm the Physical Education instructor, I have first aid training and I love playing basketball. I'm the counselor for Cabin G1."

Trent smirked. "Maybe we could play a little one-on-one."

"I would kick your ass," said Su-Ann bluntly. She grinned, and pointed at the counselor who had not spoken yet. "Besides, that one over there is my boyfriend and if looks could kill, you'd be dead by now." 

Rory's head swung around to the counselor helping Linda carry some boxes in. He was quite tall, and he had dark blond hair. He had dark brown eyes and was quite good looking. He cleared his throat, and introduced himself. 

"I'm Daniel James, but call me DJ if you want me to talk to you again. I'm the counselor for Cabin B5 and I'll be helping Su-Ann with the PE stuff."

Linda smiled around at everyone again. "Okay. Well, now that you all know each other, come here and get three shirts of your size. Remember that you have to wear these shirts all the time whilst you are representing Summer Camp and please remember to wear something with the shirt, like shorts."

Everyone chortled, and made their way to get the shirts. 

Later on that night, Rory sat on the pier over the lake. The reflection of the moon glimmered on the surface or the water and the stars twinkled at her. She sighed; it was such a tranquil sight and she loved the fact that they were near a forest, away from the populated cities. She breathed the fresh night air.

"It's a pretty sight isn't it?" asked someone from behind. 

Rory knew without turning who it was. "Yeah."

Jess came and sat down besides her. They sat down in comfortable silence, until Jess spoke. "We didn't really get a chance to talk. How are you feeling?"

Rory thought for a while. "I'm okay, I guess. Being here puts my perspective into place and it gives me a chance to gather some experience." 

Jess nodded. "I know what you mean. How's Luke?"

Rory glanced at him. "He's fine, still in charge of the diner, still arguing with Taylor." 

"One day they're going to kill each other."

Rory frowned. "I hope not. You know, he's going out with my mum now."

Jess chuckled. "Wow, I never thought he'd be brave enough to make the first move."

Rory smiled. "He isn't. My mum did it."

Jess laughed out loud. "How's Dean?" 

Rory grimaced. "Out of the picture."

"Oh, I'm sorry"

Rory shrugged. "Yeah, it happens." She paused, and finally blurted out, "Do you have a girlfriend?"

Rory held her breath, not knowing whether she wanted to hear the answer or not. On one hand if he did have a girlfriend, she would know that he was taken and well, she wouldn't try to make a move on him or anything. On the other hand, if he wasn't taken

Jess turned to face her. "No." He placed his hands on her chin and turned her head to look at him. He brought his face closer to hers slowly, giving her time to turn away if she wanted. She didn't want to turn away. His lips met hers lightly. 

**To be continued**

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**Okay, I tallied it up and so far, it's: **

**Trory – 1111111111111111111111111 = 25 **

**Literati – 11111111111 = 11**

**Narco – 1 = 1**

**I'm not very good at maths but I think that's right. I'm not sure whether second votes should count, so tell me whether you've voted before or not **

**REVIEW PlEaSe!!! **


	3. Boyfriend Blues

**Wow, please excuse me while I scrape my jaw off the floor! I came home bummed because I failed my maths exam and this kinda made me forget all about it! Seriously, there are so many votes!!! Sadly, I can't call them reviews because most of them just contain which couple they want **

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**I'd like to thank someone for telling me that my story is interactive and that I could get my ass banned from fanfiction.net. Darn. I knew there is a reason I should read the rules! =D**

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**Here is my tally-up:**

**Trory – ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| = 81**

**Literati – ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| = 59**

**Narco – || = 2**

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**I'm CLOSING THE VOTES now because the numbers are just getting overwhelming. Remember what I said about my not being very good at maths so I'm not sure if I have the exact number. I think I'm pretty close, though. I'm going out of my mind here counting the votes! =S. Once again, thank you so much for voting, I appreciated it so very much. **

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**So, thanks y'all: Amy, -911-, girldevil, cough candy, Mandy, Lisa, ok, starburst25589, BB, milohottness, Dodger, sexpistols, Dee, angelgirl15, Rory DuGrey, ummmmm, kayla, Mary, stay gold, Tiz-nd-Princezz, Tori, Abbey and Abbie, Lorraine, Lexie, Leah, mcmvictory, nadiah, spacekase, klm111a, jane, moi, Sunshine, sara, REBECCA, Natalie, Katia, JC, saroo, gracie, ****J**** , kaylye, love ya, meeeee!! **(I wont let you have Daniel * bares teeth *, he's all mine!)**, ilovejess, Grey Lady, lilacmoon, Cindy, m&m, sabrina, Nikki, starryeyes, qwertygirl, blue eyes, Sam, Amy, TemptingFate, Emily, lksaffa, southrnbelle09, Jen, Julianne, fi, miS maRy, Kat, lins, cinnamonpeach, lola, darasun, nana, anonymous, Mel, me!!!!, Rory DuGrey, Tiffany, jessiemedlin, jody, salempower, Cat, me, Hannah, jess=sexy, chrissy, me is me, Elise, Jess, des, ProudMary, Trory4ever, Brooke, Wishing4u, me, Fran, Kelly, liz, JessObsessed-GordosGirlie, julianna, Vfoxy713, Michelle, Judy, yeli, Carly, Kesley, your buddy, coffeeluver4eva, .**

Chapter 3: Boyfriend Blues

_You're kissing Jess. _A moment later, her senses kicked in and she broke off the kiss. _Oh my god, you're kissing Jess! What are you doing, Rory? Are you just using him to get over Dean? You've only just broken up with him; he's going to think he's the rebound guy, when he's not. He's much, much more than that isn't he? _She scooted over, away from the feelings his kiss stirred up inside her, away from Jess. The close proximity had clouded her brain, she thought. 

Jess watched her and mentally hit himself upside the head. She's still not ready for this relationship, is she? 

Rory stood up, and brushed off her jeans. "I'm sorry," she muttered. "I've got to go now, it's getting late." She began to walk away not brave enough to look at Jess. 

Jess scowled at the water surface. He should have known not to make such a stupid, screwed up move. Hell, even his mother said he was a screw-up. "Rory," he called out to her back. 

Rory turned around slowly, hesitating even as she moved. "Yeah?" she said, her voice hardly rising more than a whisper. 

"I'll see you later." 

Rory sighed in relief. She thought he would ask her some questions that she just wasn't ready for. _Like, what are we? _

She walked in the direction of her cabin, leaving Jess watching the dark lake gloomily. 

~¤¤¤~

Rory woke up to a loud, consistent sound. She sat up in bed, wondering what the hell the sound was, then realized it had to be the wake-up call. She sighed and glanced at her durable baby-g watch. 6.30. She rubbed her eyes sleepily and then remembered that it was the day that she would meet her happy campers.' Again, she prayed that they would be nice and easy to handle.

She tied her hair up briskly in a ponytail, grabbed a quick cup of coffee from the canteen and ran out to the conference room. She saw Jess and could feel his eyes on her, but couldn't look at him. Linda greeted the counselors. 

"Hope you had a comfortable sleep, because you're going to need the energy today," said Andrew. "The kids are coming around 10 o'clock, in 2 buses. There are going to be 40 kids altogether, as you should have worked out since each of you are in charge of 4. Everyone will need to wear nametags for the first couple of days."

The counselors nodded. 

"Okay, each of you are going to get a color, and five ribbons. You will have to wear these ribbons all the time as it makes sorting out easier for us," continued Linda. "Breakfast is at eight, lunch is at one and dinner is at 6. You have the schedule for your group of kids, make sure that they know if off by heart. Activities are spread off around the day."

"Kaye, you're the only one who tags around with your kids. They're about 6 years old and you'll have to make sure that they do everything properly. Anything else you need to know?" asked Andrew. 

"Well, you said something about us counselors having an off day" said Trent.

Linda smiled. "Well, yes. That's right. All of you have three half days off in two weeks. You can do whatever you want during that time, you can even choose not to have the day off if you want. It's really up to you. All you have to do is tell either Andrew or I when you want it off."

The counselors nodded and went off to breakfast. 

"Okay, listen up! The counselors are going to call out the people who are under their surveillance!" shouted Linda through the megaphone. 

The kids shuffled around, the noise level still high but significantly lower than the ear-splitting level of a few minutes before. Rory held her clipboard in one hand and four red ribbons in the other. The campers were supposed to wear the ribbons that they were allocated around their neck, as were their counselors to make it easier for everyone.

Linda introduced each of the counselors to the campers, then passed the megaphone to Trent, who called out the names of the people in his cabin. After they were all gathered, he led them to the cabin to unpack. And so on and so on it went, until all the boys were off and away. 

Rory grabbed the megaphone. "Okay, I'm counselor for Cabin G5 and I'm in charge of" her eyes scrolled down the list. "Holly Bloom, Lana Smith, Grace Anderson, and Stella McCoy." 

Four girls shuffled their way to the front, and Rory led them to the Cabin. 

Rory sat on her bed as the campers went about unpacking their luggage. "So, have any of you been here before?" 

"Yeah, I have," said Lana. Rory scrutinized her for a moment, and realized that she was the sporty kind. Her long hair was put up in a high ponytail and she wore a baseball cap over her head. She wore shorts, a huge t-shirt and worn out trainers. "I was here last year and the year before."

Rory smiled. "That's great. You're Lana, right?"

Lana nodded. "Yeah. I like it here, there's so much stuff we can do."

One of the girls finished packing early and sat on the floor near Rory. She had ginger colored hair and light blue eyes. "My name is Holly and this is my first time here. Are we going to do anything today?"

Lana shook her head. "No, this is the getting to know each other day."

A girl with long blond hair and huge blue eyes spoke next. "Are we allowed to wear make-up here?" 

Rory was taken aback with this girl. Make up in summer camp? _Oka-ay_. "Umm, I don't think so."

The girl scowled. "That sucks."

"Are you Grace?" asked Rory.

"Yeah. I don't even want to be here in the first place, but my stepmother wants to go to Paris and she says I can't go with her and dad so they left me here. Look at this place, it's such a dump!" she exclaimed. 

Rory frowned. Grace had troublemaker' written all over her. "Uh. I think it's quite nice."

"I think so too," spoke up a small girl from the back. She had mousy colored hair and was overall quite timid. Rory's eyes scrolled the list. Stella was her name. 

Grace rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She went back to unpacking her luggage. 

Lana and Stella soon joined Holly, whilst Grace was still unpacking. Rory sat on the floor with the girls. 

"So, as you all know, my name is Rory. I'm seventeen and I'm your counselor."

Lana smiled at her. "Yeah. What activity are you going to do?"

"I'm doing the arty stuff."

Stella's eyes lit up. "Really? Can we do some pottery, I love doing pottery."

Rory nodded. "Definitely, I like doing pottery too."

Grace joined them on the floor. 

"Let's introduce ourselves to each other. After all, we're going to have to live together for 2 months," said Rory. She looked at Lana. "You go first."

At about five minutes to one, Rory led her campers to their allocated table in the canteen. "Okay, this is your table. You have to sit here, okay? For breakfast, lunch and dinner."

Stella's eyebrows drew together. "Where are you sitting?" 

Rory pointed to the counselor's table. "I'll be over there. If you need anything, just come and talk to me."

~¤¤¤~

"Okay, that's it, light out," called Rory at nine in the evening. 

Her campers groaned in unison. 

"You cannot be serious," screeched Grace. "In my house, I get to stay up to one clock in the morning."

"You're not in your house," said Rory dryly. 

Stella sighed. "Can't I read for a bit more?"

Rory smiled at her. "Well, not now. You should save the book for later."

Grace rolled her eyes and muttered, geek' under her breath. Everyone heard her, but nobody acknowledged it. 

Rory walked over to the light switch and turned it off. "Nighty-night."

She walked back to her bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. Closing her eyes, she tried to sleep, but it wouldn't come. Maybe it's because of her new roommates, but whatever the reason, she still couldn't sleep. She tried to count sheep, but only reached until sheep number 18. After that, the sheep's came with weird alien faces, and that just totally disturbed her. Grumbling slightly to herself, she got out of bed, and walked out of the cabin to the playground nearby. She sat on the swing. 

Wandering around is becoming a habit,' she thought to herself. 

A while later, she saw a lone figure walk by her and she greeted him. "Tristan."

He raised his head, waved to her and started walking towards her direction. "Need someone to push you?" he asked. 

Rory laughed. "All the time."

He walked behind her, and pushed her lightly. "How are your campers?" 

Rory sighed. "They're okay, but this one girl Grace thinks that she's Miss America."

Tristan chuckled. "Sounds like almost every other Hartford girl."

Rory smiled. Tristan seemed like quite a nice guy now that he was out of Chilton, and away from the people that made him who he was. The Tristan that she knew in Chilton wasn't the real "Yeah, I guess so. How are yours?"

"Mine are little terrors," groaned Tristan. "I went for a walk because they keep insulting each other even though the lights are out."

"Is that a smart thing to do?"

"Well probably not," admitted Tristan. "But it's the only way for me to save my sanity."

Rory laughed. "What sanity?"

Tristan poked her in the ribs. "Careful or I'll stop pushing."

"Okay, okay." 

They were quiet for a while, the still night air lending Rory some peace. She shivered as the cold finally got to her. 

Tristan slowed down the swing. "You cold?"

Rory shook her head. "Nah."

"You always were very stubborn."

Rory frowned. "So are you."

Tristan sighed, and handed her his jacket. "Do you always have an answer for everything?"

"That's right." She took his jacket gratefully and put it on.

He stood in front of her, just casually observing her but it brought chills down Rory's spine.

"What?" she demanded.

"Nothing" 

"Spit it out."

Tristan sighed. "Okay, fine. I just think you're very pretty."

A faint blush the color of rose tinted her cheeks. "Oh."

"You're supposed to compliment me back," said Tristan.

Rory grinned at him. "I think you're pretty too!"

Tristan pouted cutely. "Hey! Is that your idea of a compliment? Besides, no one calls guys pretty"

Rory shrugged. "Guess I must be no-one then."

Tristan chuckled. "Okay, I'll take whatever compliment I can get."

Rory stood up. "I better get going."

"I'll walk you."

"No, it's okay, I know my way around," protested Rory.

"I have nothing better to do," said Tristan. 

"Fine."

They made their way down the path that led to Rory's cabin, and stopped in front of the door.

"Good night," said Tristan. He bent down to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. 

Rory shivered at the warmth of his lips and felt her body rapidly heating up. "Night." She watched him walk away, and when he was out of sight, she opened the door. 

Once she stepped in, she was greeted by catcalls. She cursed under her breath; the girls had been watching her and Tristan in their awkward moments through the window.

"Is he your boyfriend?" asked Lana, grinning cheekily.

"He's one of the counselors here, right?" asked Holly.

"He is soooo hot!" exclaimed Grace. 

Rory flushed. She thanked god that the lights were still off, and that they couldn't see her reddening. _You do think he is hot, but do you like him? But then again, you think Colin Farrell is hot too, and you don't have a crush on him. Oh, and what about Jess? _

Rory shook her head. "No, he's not my boyfriend."

A quiet voice sounded from the corner. "Then, why did he kiss you and let you wear his jacket?"

**To be continued**

**Review please! **

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**My updates are going to be few and far between because I have exams coming up that I have to pass! Wish me luck, I really need it because I'm so nervous I might chew my nails off and I haven't done that since I was eight! **


	4. Making Plans

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Thanks: Chelsea, Elise, Angel Monroe, Trory4ever, Mrs. Mariano, des, eek, meeeee!!, Rory DuGrey, Lilly, colleen, Loz`, jen, just me, Julianne, jody, me, lilacmoon, ff.net author, Jell, Anna, klm111a, Lieke, piper-h-99, Surya, trory-goddess, swimminsweetie, Vfoxy713, angelic, Melanie, rory jess, dfsd, fff, GiveMeYourLove.

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PS. I did not say whether I was going to make this a Trory or a Literati… Stop jumping to conclusions, you guys!!! Anyway, there'll be elements of both…

Chapter 4: Making Plans

That shrill loud noise permeated through her dreams, and woke her up. She mumbled rudely under her breath as it interrupted her dream about Michael Vartan. He was just about to rescue her from an evil villain. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, simultaneously rubbing her eyes. Glancing at her campers, she realized that Lana had already run off to the outhouse. _That girl is too perky for her own good. _

She saw that Holly and Stella were already up and on their way to the outhouse. Then, she realized that Grace was still asleep under the covers. _How can she sleep through that god-awful noise? _Rory went over to the side and shook her slightly. Grace mumbled something under her breath and then rolled over. Rory shook a little bit harder the second time, but to her chagrin, there was no response. Rory sighed and shook even harder. This time, Grace sat up. 

"What are you doing?" she screeched, practically burning Rory's ears off.

Rory flushed, wanting to give the girl a good long lecture, but controlled herself. This was not the time or place for it. "You have to wake up now."

"What? It's too early. Are you crazy?"

"I agree that it's too early, but you really have to wake up now because breakfast is at seven and if you miss that, you have no food until lunch. And to answer your second question, no I am not crazy."

Grace reddened. "Yeah, I'm a bit cranky in the morning."

__

This girl doesn't give an inch. Rory nodded, and stepped on the floor, picked up her clothes and went to the outhouse. 

The group of eight boys that she and Eve handled for her first arts session was easy-going. They were approximately 8-10 year olds and instead of being the boisterous crowd she expected them to be, they were quiet and actually listened to instructions. Rory discussed with Eve, and they finally decided to let the boys bring the surrounding area onto paper. Eve handed out the materials and equipment, and then they trooped out into the great outdoors, settling between the lake and the forest. The boys immediately started looking for what they wanted to draw, and once they found it, sat down on the ground and began sketching. 

"Remember not to get out of sight," warned Rory. She sat down on the ground, as did Eve.

On the far side of the lake, Tristan was teaching a group of 6 year olds (probably Kaye's group) basic swimming strokes. She caught his eye and waved at him. He grinned and waved back. 

Eve gave her an evil look. "You know him?"

"Tristan? Yeah…"

Eve rolled her eyes disappointedly. "Guess he's off limits then."

Rory felt a kick to her stomach, and was tempted to say 'yes, he is' but then again, she never told a lie if she could help it. "We're not going out."

Eve gave her a broad smile, and stood up. "Then you don't mind if I just head over and talk to him?"

Rory shook her head to signal 'No, I don't mind', but Eve was already on her way to Tristan. _My god, she moves fast. _

She sighed to herself, and decided to ignore whatever Eve and Tristan did. The truth was that she did mind, but couldn't do anything about it. It's not like she owned him. _You don't even like Tristan in that way, riiiight? _She lay down on the soft green grass and put Tristan and Eve at the back of her mind. She breathed the fresh air and calmed down. The boys were being quiet and god forbid, actually concentrating on what they were doing. 

"Need any help?" asked Jess, his face looming above hers. 

Rory sat up so fast that she could practically feel the blood rushing to her head. Her heart started beating faster. "Umm, no… everything's going okay."

Jess sat down heavily next to her. "We need to talk."

She could feel her heart doing triple beats and doing gymnastic tricks in her veins. 

"I can't, I'm busy," she finished off lamely.

Jess looked at her with an amused grin. "If this is your definition of busy, I'd hate to see…"

Rory interrupted him with a heart-wrenching sigh. "Okay, let's talk." _It's about time you talk to him anyway. You can't ignore him forever. _

Jess grew quiet, carefully thinking about how he should phrase his reply. When he did speak, his voice was evenly toned and calm, not betraying the frantic pace of his heart. "What are we? Good friends with benefits, good friends with no frills, or are we not going to be able to have a decent conversation ever?"

Rory thought it over. "Didn't you miss something out?" _Like… lovers?_

Jess gave her a sidewise glance. "Yeah." A pause. "But, I'm cool with whatever you decide."

Rory's brows furrowed together. "So if I told you that I hated your guts and I never want to talk to you again, you'd be cool with that?"

Jess sighed patiently. "Rory, you know what I want. The question is, do you want the same thing?"

Rory frowned. "I don't know. I seriously don't know what I want."

Jess flicked his thumb over to Tristan, who was trying to fend off Eve's overly blatant flirting, and trying to teach the kids how to swim at the same time. "You're thinking about pretty boy over there, aren't you?" 

"What??!" exclaimed Rory, surprised.

"Look Rory, I'm not blind," he said wryly. "I see the way he looks at you." He paused and gave her a watery grin. "It's the same way that I look at you." 

Rory grabbed a nearby flower and began to shred it systematically. "We're just friends," she mumbled.

Jess nodded, and didn't pursue that line of conversation anymore. He figured it wouldn't help as it would just make her more confused and probably make him more annoyed at blondie over there. "How about we go check out that town tomorrow?" He grinned at her. "And we can have some coffee as well."

Rory glanced up, forgetting all about the half-shredded flower. She bit her lip, and decided that she should go to have coffee with Jess. After all, they had tons to catch up on. She gave him a tiny smile. "You know I can't refuse coffee."

"Okay, then. I'll drive us there in my car. Does 3 o'clock sound okay to you?"

"Yeah."

Jess stood up. "See you then, I'll go tell Linda about our plans." 

"Bye."

To be continued…

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REVIEW PLEASE


	5. Day away from camp

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Hell guys, I'm really sorry I haven't updated in ages, it's just that I've been so caught up in revising for my exams. And well, they're not as good as I want them to be. I got 3 A *s, 4 As and the rest Bs. So I was moping about and now since it's summer holz, I'm back to writing stories. Hope ya enjoy this one.

Oh, and I'm sorry to disappoint all you Literatis… but this is officially going to be a Trory, although this chapter is leaning towards Literati action. 

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Chapter Five: Day away from camp

Jess stared mournfully up at the cinema screen. He couldn't believe that on his first 'date' with Rory Gilmore, he was at the cinema. How cheesy, and the blond girl on screen was just being… annoyingly annoying. He glanced at the enraptured Rory sitting next to him, periodically stuffing caramel popcorn into her mouth. He shook his hand in front of her face.

"Uh, Rory. Explain how you got me into the cinema watching, of all things, The Lizzie McGuire movie?" he muttered. 

Rory turned her head slightly and gave him a frown. "Jess, this is the eighth and last time I'm explaining to you, okay?"

Jess nodded, and ran his hand haphazardly through his brown hair. 

"I said, please Jessie wessie, can we watch this movie? You said no, and I said yes Jessie wessie, and then I said please, Jessie wessie, and then you said, fine, just as long as you don't call me Jessie wessie anymore."

"You just called me 'Jessie wessie' again," pointed out Jess. 

Rory shook her head at him. "That's because you asked me to explain to you, and I did, so please be quiet until the end of the movie."

Jess groaned aloud, and sat back, doomed to watching this movie. 

They walked out of the cinema hand-in-hand, with Rory having a smile as wide as a mile on her face. "Adam Lamberg is cute, isn't he?"

Jess wrinkled up his face. "Who the hell is he?"

Rory raised an eyebrow at him. "It's Gordo, du-uh."

Jess grinned. "You know him by his real name, Rory? I don't really see you as the type to go gaga over The Lizzie McGuire Show."

Rory could feel the blush on her cheeks. "Shut up, Jess. I didn't really like it. It was just on TV whenever I switched it on."

Jess rolled his eyes. "Excuses, excuses."

Rory swatted his arm. "Stop it, Jess."

Jess laughed out loud. "Besides, isn't he vertically challenged?"

Rory shrugged. "Who cares? His eyes are to die for. I could stare at them forever."

"They're probably contacts," said Jess, smirking.

Rory grinned. "You're jeolous, aren't you?"

"Of course not."

"Yes you are."

Jess grimaced. "No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

Jess glanced around him for a quick escape. He pointed behind her. "Look, there's a coffee shop."

He could almost swear that she ran there.

"Two coffees please," said Jess to the bored looking waitress behind the counter. 

"No decaf," chirped Rory from besides him.

The waitress simpered at Jess as she looked up from the magazine she was reading. "Hi honey. My name's Josie."

Jess glanced at Rory, his eyes conveying to her to help him from this woman. Rory laughed out loud. She clutched his hand. 

"Let's sit over there, my feet are tired," she said in a high pitched voice, dragging him over to an empty table.

They sat down on the table, drinking their cups of coffees (Rory's third), feeling the peacefulness of the small town seep into their bones. 

"This is nice, isn't it?" asked Rory amusedly. 

Jess frowned. "Feels like Stars Hollow all over again."

Rory gave him a quizzical look. "I don't get it. What makes you hate Stars Hollow?"

"The people, the buildings, the lack of interestingness about the whole town, should I go on or have you heard enough?"

"Jess, I AM one of the people living in Stars Hollow." Although Rory kept the expression on her face neutral, she was hurt. She loved the town, and she got naturally defensive when anyone gave her crap about it.

Jess scowled as he tried to find the right words to explain. "But you're different. You're… just you." 

"You know what, forget it, okay Jess? I'm tired of hearing you complain about Stars Hollow not giving you a chance that when in reality, it is you who didn't give Stars Hollow a chance."

A terse silence filled the air, neither of them wanting to say something. 

Then, they both said, "I'm sorry" simultaneously. 

Rory gave him a watery grin. "I've been wanting to say that for ages."

Jess nodded thoughtfully, accepting her criticism. "I've been expecting it."

Rory breathed a sigh of relief. "You know something, I'm kinda glad that I let that monster out. It's been bottled up inside of me for a very long time."

Jess gave her a crooked grin. "I can tell."

"I mean it," she said, looking at Jess straight in the eye.

"I know." Jess glanced at his watch. "Hey, it's 5. I told Linda we'd be back in half an hour. Better get moving now."

Rory nodded. "Okay."

They stood up and began walking towards the door, when Rory stopped.

Jess looked at her. "What's wrong?"

"Can I have one more coffee to go. Please?" 

TO BE CONTINUED

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Okay, I just want to establish Rory and Jess as friends.. but I think it will take one more chapter.


	6. Friendship

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Thank you for everyone who reviewed. Oh my god, I can't believe that people actually put me on their favorites list! I was like jumping about like an idiot when I discovered that I was on **21** people's favourite authors! Yeay!

Chapter 6: Friendship 

Linda glanced up from organising the kids into their cabins, and grimaced as she saw the two teenagers trudging towards their direction. From the tortured look on Rory's face and the scowl on Jess', she was guessing that their time away from camp didn't go very well. Darn, she needed to break the sexual tension. She flicked her hand up, catching their attention and beckoned them over to the fireside where all campers and counselors were gathered for the activity. Consequently, tonight was the sing-along and because Andrew had cut his finger trying to fix one of the kayaks, she had to find another guitar player. Fast!

Rory and Jess found empty spaces in the vague direction where all the counselors were encompassed and sat down. Linda noticed that her current technique of sorting out the campers weren't working, and gave piercing whistle that cut through the night like a knife. That gathered the attention of the boisterous campers like nothing else. 

"Listen up, kids! It's time for the sing-along. Sit down in your given cabin numbers before the wicked axe-man comes!" shouted Linda. The last part drew shrill shrieks from some of the younger campers, but it was mostly hidden behind the disbelieving laughter of the older patrons. 

Then, Linda turned to the agitated counselors. Kaye looked freaked-out. 

"Linda, you didn't tell me anything about sing-alongs. I can't sing to save my own life!" 

Some male counselors muttered their sentiments, which was agreement with Kaye. Linda shook her head stubbornly. 

"It was all in the program list, if you bothered to read it that is. Now, I need someone who can play the guitar fairly well. Any volunteers?"

Everyone turned to look at Mark, although none of them knew why. He shrugged in surrender. "I only work miracles with computers. Other than that, sorry but no can do."

A silent groan went through the crowd. 

Linda groaned as well. "Oh no, now I have to cancel this thing, at least until Andrew's hand is recovered. They'll all be so disappointed, it's been a regular in this camp since it opened."

Tristan argued with himself. He could play the guitar, very well, but it was for private reasons. He played the guitar to let out the stress and to motivate him. No one even knew that he could play. Stress on the no one. Finally, he spoke up, deciding that he couldn't break a 20 year-old-tradition.

"Linda, wait." 

Linda, who was walking dejectedly towards the campers, swung about.

"Yes, Tristan?"

Tristan cleared his throat. "Umm. I can play the guitar."

He watched with disbelief as the woman in front of him transformed from a depressed woman to a deliriously happy woman. 

Tristan tuned the guitar that Linda laid in his arms. It was old, but still in excellent shape. He strummed a few bars just to make sure that it sounded proper. Then, he glanced at Linda and gave her the okay sign so that she can begin the sing-along.

Linda's smile was wide, it was practically from ear to ear. "Okay campers, remember Tristan? He's going to play the guitar for us tonight. Unfortunately, his head is filled with punk songs full of words that I'll pretend you don't know about. However, he does know a few 'oldies'. Let's start with 'Ain't no mountain high enough'." 

The girls laughed at the choice of the love song whilst the boys groaned.

"But it's a LOVE song," shouted Brian, one of the campers. 

Linda shrugged. "So? It's a nice love song."

"Okay. Let's start."

Tristan strummed the first few bars of the song. The campers joined in, as did the counselors. They then went off to a few other songs. At the last strum of the last song, Tristan looked up, only to find Rory staring at him. 

Rory couldn't help it. She knew she was staring. She knew that she shouldn't stare. She knew it was wrong to stare… yet she couldn't help herself. He looked so sensual that she was attracted to him like a bear was to honey. Okay, there was something wrong about that comparison, but who cares? He cradled the guitar like a baby and she knew instantly that he was good with kids. 

She turned her head away as their gazes clicked, and she practically heard the sexual tension sizzle in the air. She mentally chided herself for being a fool. This was Tristan for heaven's sake! Tristan, also known as Satan, Bible Boy, the Evil One and he was known by those nicknames for a good reason. He was the ultimate heart breaker; the one that all mothers wish didn't exist. He was the epitome of a playboy. He was… Oh boy. 

She was looking at him again. She was so enraptured in him that she didn't ever hear Linda bid the campers goodbye. Her eyes saw that Tristan was walking towards her, but it didn't register. Only when Tristan squatted down in front of her and waved his hand in front of her face did she notice. Instantly, her eyes opened wide and her heartbeat speeded up to what felt like about five times the legal limit. 

"Uh, hi?" muttered Rory.

Tristan chuckled. "Hello."

"So, uh, I didn't know that you play the guitar."

"Not many people do."

"Umm… you're very good at it," said Rory, mentally knocking herself on the head with a sledgehammer as she realized how lame that sounded. 

Tristan burst out laughing. "Thank you." He gave her a crooked grin that practically made her heart stop beating for an instant. "Where were you today, I didn't notice you around?"

In a flash she remembered the events of the previous hours. Most of all she remembered the semi-fight with Jess. 

Tristan frowned as he noticed her clear blue eyes cloud with what seemed like tears. "Hey, what's this?"

Rory smiled sadly. "Nothing… I gotta go. There's a lot of things I need to think about."

A stab of pain went through him as he realized that Rory didn't feel like she could confide in him when all he wanted was to help her. "Oh. Right."

She stood up, and brushed her shorts. "Good night."

As she walked away, she missed the brush of the words that he muttered quietly under his breath. "Sleep with the angels."

She didn't realise that her feet had walked her to the pier. As her eyes focused, she saw a dark figure huddled at the edge. Jess. Her breath stilled as she searched the right words to say to him. She couldn't think of anything to say, so she turned around, bent on making a hasty retreat.

"I know you're there, Rory." 

Rory stopped and spun around, walking softly to sit next to him. She still didn't say anything, only gazing at the full moon and many stars that twinkled at her.

Jess spoke up. "It's funny how we're always attracted to a place with water under it." 

She still kept her mouth shut, unsure of where their conversation was getting. 

"I've been thinking - about what you said today. And I know that you're right."

Rory gave him a tortured half-grin. "I'm always right." 

Jess snorted. "Do you remember when you said you're going to make the world's best tasting ice-cream? You then proceeded to mix pistachio, chocolate, coffee, vanilla, strawberry and mint together, only to find that just because they're your favorite flavors, it doesn't mean that they taste good together."

Rory shrugged as she remembered that incident. "Imagination is the refusal to accept boundaries."

"Charles Templeton."

Rory nodded, her mind wandering off to places that didn't exist. Did she want Jess or Tristan? Someone she was comfortable with or someone who made her feel tingles whenever he was close? Finally, she spoke up as she thought about a way to decide. "Jess, kiss me again."

Jess' eyes opened wide. "What the hell Rory?" 

"No, I just need to know…"

Jess turned towards her direction swiftly, and bent down to give her a kiss smack in the mouth.

Rory's giggle permeated through the air as she felt the lack of tingles the kiss brought her. "I thought so." 

Jess frowned. "You felt it too, huh?" He had always thought that he was attracted to Rory physically, but now he realized that he mistook it for an emotional attraction. Rory was there when he needed someone, and that made him misdirect his feelings. Besides, they were practically related.

"Yeah."

Jess expelled a huge sigh of relief as he felt the tension dissipating. "I would appreciate it if you never remind me that we were once romantically linked."

"Ditto. Friends?"

"Friends," agreed Jess. "What's with you and pretty boy?"

Her head went up so fast that it almost snapped. "There's nothing between Tristan and I," she lied.

Jess smirked. "Didn't look that way to me." 

Rory smiled. He knew her too well and she didn't know whether that was a curse or a blessing. "Okay, okay, it goes like this…" 

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TO BE CONTINUED…

I'll be honest with you guys and tell you that I know that this chapter is crap and that I developed things so fast that it's unbelievable. Sorry!! And I really badly need suggestions!

Please review! 


	7. What's going on?

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Author's note: This is the next chapter! Can you believe I wrote two chapters in one day? I think it's because the previous one was horrible! 

Chapter 7: What's going on?

Rory sprinted to the canteen and went to the counselors' table, sitting down in her reserved seat between Jess and Paris, opposite Tristan. Her hair was gathered hurriedly in the messiest ponytail ever, and her clothes were horribly crinkled. 

"Oh my god, I woke up late!" 

Tristan smirked in that unbelievably hot way of his, and stated dryly, "You have the most unbelievable knack for stating the obvious."

"Here's your coffee," said Jess, handing her an extra large cup.

"Thanks, Jess, you're a life-saver."

"Welcome."

Eve's jaw dropped as she looked at Rory. "What are you wearing, girl?"

Rory looked down at her khaki shorts and camp shirt. "Uh, clothes?"

"No shit. Have you no fashion sense?"

Rory grinned. "I'd rather not have fashion sense if that means dressing the way you do." 

Eve had dressed in hot pants and the camp shirt knotted loosely so it just covered her breasts. 

Jess coughed, covering the laughter that threatened to come out. Paris looked did the same as he, and they acknowledged the other's urge to laugh. 

"Besides, I think Rory looks fine," said Tristan, his eyes twinkling with bridled laughter.

Trent snorted. "More than fine." He noticed the look Tristan shot him, but chose to ignore it. 

Linda walked over to the table and inspected them. When her eyes landed on Eve, her mouth straightened into a thin line, showing how displeased she was.

"Eve, I think you had better change into something more sensible."

Eve huffed, flipped her hair, and waltzed off to change into something else, just in time to miss the scattered laughter that signaled her leaving. 

Later, on in during the first art session, Eve decided it was time to talk to this girl about staying off her man.

Eve rolled her eyes. "You know, guys think it's a total turn-off if you come on to them too strong."

Rory gritted her teeth, unable to believe at the audacity of this girl. "Right back at you, honey." 

Rory glanced at the campers, and thanked heaven that they were carrying on with their work. 

Eve popped the bubble she was blowing. "What's your problem?"

Rory's mouth hanged open. "What's my problem?" she shot back in disbelief. "What do you mean what's my problem? It's more like, what is _your_ problem!" 

"You wanna know my problem? Fine!" said Eve. "My problem is that you're trying to steal my guy away from me!"

Rory mouth shut in skepticism. "I have no idea who you're talking about."

Eve snickered. "Sure you don't. Yet you flirt with him when you know that he is mine."

Rory raised her eyebrow. "First off, I have no idea who you're talking about. Secondly, I don't even know how to flirt, much less have the valor to pull it off."

"God, girl, who else?" said Eve in a snide voice. "Tristan, duh!"

Rory was slack-jawed. "Tristan Dugrey?"

Eve nodded in response.

"I didn't know you guys are going out," said Rory, her tone guarding deceivingly her anguish.

"How could you not?" voiced Eve. "Everyone can tell he totally digs me." She poked a perfectly french-manicured finger at Rory. "Except for you. So just stay off my man."

Rory bit her lip and held up her hands in surrender. "I got it."

Rory sat in the playground, her arms around her knees in a gesture for warmth. It was fairly late and she couldn't sleep, so she decided to take a walk. She had had a talk with Jess earlier on, but he was off practicing some Karate kicks or something like that.

"I can't believe it," she muttered, still shocked at her discoveries earlier on in the day. "Why didn't I know about it?" She thought for a while, and then said aloud, "Well, it's not like you own him. He doesn't even know anything about what you feel. You are so dumb to even think that he would like you that way. Why do you even like someone like him? Have you…"

Someone cleared his or her throat behind her.

Rory whipped around, wide-eyed, to discover Paris standing there, with her hands on her hips and a disapproving look on her face.

"Paris! Oh my god, how long have you been standing there?"

Paris shrugged. "Long enough to hear you psychoanalyzing yourself about a trivial thing that you shouldn't even think about."

Rory groaned, and covered her face with her hand. "Go away Paris, I don't need what you mistakenly define as help."

Paris sat down opposite her. "You know what, contrary to popular belief, I actually do like you. I don't know why, it's unexplainable, but it must be part of the Gilmore charm since I like your mother too."

Rory looked up, startled. "Really?"

Paris sighed. "I knew I would pay for admitting that. Yes, I really do like you. It's just that most of the time, we seem to be on opposite ends of the spectrum." 

"I know," acknowledged Rory.

They sat in comfortable silence. 

"You were talking about Tristan, weren't you?" asked Paris.

Rory was stupefied to think that she was that obvious. "No I wasn't," she said. She didn't even want to think about what it'd be like to discuss her situation with someone who likes Tristan that way as well. 

Paris laughed. "I wasn't born yesterday, you know."

"Neither was I," retorted Rory.

"I'm over him, you know." 

Rory looked wide-eyed at Paris. "Are you on crack? What makes you think I would talk about an obnoxious, annoying, insinuating teenage boy obsessed with sex, that plays with people and their emotions, when I can talk about other people who are more nicer, happier, and just… nicer."

Paris gave a sarcastic grin. "That's exactly what I mean. You don't know what to perceive about Tristan, so you go with the stereotypical image that he flawlessly pulls off. Unfortunately for him, part of that image cracks whenever he's with you, so you get to witness the endearingly sweet side of his personality, and that throws you because it conflicts dearly with the stereotype group you have mentally placed him in."

As Rory tried to process the information so carelessly flung at her, Paris added, "He likes you." 

That was when Rory snapped. "I think living with two psychologists have affected the way you think, because he does not like me. If he did like me, he wouldn't be dating that cow Eve."

Paris raised her eyebrows. "Where'd you get that from?"

"Uhm… Eve."

Paris grinned. "And you believe her?"

"What's not to believe?"

"He isn't going out with her," said Paris, her tone full of confidence that she didn't possess totally. 

"Yes, he is," muttered Rory dejectedly. "Now go away and let me lick my wounds alone."

Paris stood up, grumbling all the while under her breath about stupid love-sick teenagers. Then, she grabbed Rory's hand. "I have an idea." 

Rory looked at Paris confusedly. "What are you going on about?" 

Paris didn't reply, however, she only dragged Rory towards a cabin on the far side of the lake. Once she reached her destination, she knocked on the door ferociously. 

No one answered.

Rory breathed a sigh of relief, she didn't know what Paris thought she was doing, but she must be crazy if she was knocking on doors of cabins in the middle of the night. As she turned to walk off, the door opened.

Standing in the doorway was a very mussed-up looking Tristan dressed only in boxers. His hair stuck up in angles and his eyes were half closed. Rory was shocked into silence, just registering that he had an extremely delicious pack of abs and gorgeously muscled arms. Military school did him a world of good, refining his body to Adonis status. When he saw the two girls standing there in front of him, he rubbed his eyes and grinned. 

"Paris, Rory… what a surprise. I normally only go one-on-one, but since there are two beautiful girls in front of me, I'll try a trio. After all…"

Paris scowled at him. "Zip it, Romeo."

Tristan shrugged. "Hey, it's you who came to me, not the other way around."

Rory was still shocked into silence.

Paris gave Rory a pointed glance as she asked Tristan the question that shook Rory out of her reverie. "Is it true that you're going out with Eve?"

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TO BE CONTINUED…


	8. Leap of Faith

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Author's note: Next chapter up! 

Chapter 8: Leap of Faith 

Tristan was more than startled when he opened the door to find Rory standing there, looking like a deer caught in headlights. Her eyes were wide open and her mouth was twisted as if she saw something that was out of the world. Unfortunately for him, his 'jerk' personality took over whenever he was startled, especially when Rory was involved. 

He heard the question, wondered at the strangeness of it, and turned to Paris. "Isn't this way past your bedtime, Paris? Are you on crack?" 

Paris growled low in her throat. "That is the second time that someone has suggested that I am on crack and it's ridiculous, especially when you consider that I don't even know where to purchases some, even if I wanted to be on it. But then again, I don't think I'll ever be on 'crack' as it is a terrible habit, you'll probably lose the function of half your organs by the time that you're 30 and be deluded by hallucinations and the giddiness that you feel when you snort some up your nose. No wait, you don't hallucinate by taking crack, you only hallucinate on LCDs. Scrap that hallucination part, I don't know what I was thinking about. Crack will make you lose all hold you have on the world, and you'll probably think that the old man down the street is your husband. I think the snorting will burn some of the hairs in your nose, making you more susceptible to influenza and you'll probably die of some horrible disease. Besides, crack is for people who are quitters, and as we all know, I, Paris Gellar, am not one. I don't want to talk about it anymore, the mere idea of me taking crack is laughable." She took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. "This is what I get when I try to help people." She shot a murderous glance towards Tristan, said a quick goodbye to Rory, and stormed away.

Paris left a huge hole behind her, and you could hear a pin drop in the silence that gaped. Tristan turned towards Rory, and grinned. "That girl is scary."

"I think that this is the first time that we agree on something."

Tristan laughed, and winked at her, noticing the immediate blush that crawled over her face. "I guess you're the one who wants to know if I'm going out with Eve."

He had put a little bit of thought as to why Rory would want to know, and the only reason he could think of was that she was interested in him. He had immediately disposed of that theory though, deeming it useless, because Rory couldn't be interested in him that way… could she? 

Rory shrugged, looking to all the world as if she didn't have a care in the world, when in reality her heart was beating like there was no tomorrow. "I do not want to know if you're going out with Eve." 

She thought self-depreciatingly that at this rate, her heart would beat way over than the average 100,000 times daily. 

Tristan chuckled softly. "Don't lie, Rory. Your nose twitches and you blink faster."

Rory gawked at him, wondering if he was telling the truth, and just how close was he paying attention to her. "I'm not lying."

"There you go again with the lashes fluttering."

Rory snorted ungracefully. "I don't even know why I bother." She spun around on her heel, and was going to walk into the forest back to her cabin, when Tristan's hand reached out and clapped itself around her wrist. 

"Don't go, Mary."

The contact with him was practically static. She could almost feel electric sparks fizzle the air. It was like, tingles up and down her hand and it thoroughly disconcerted her. 

Rory looked at him squarely in the eye, not listening to the fears in her head, and said, "Why should I stay here when all you do is infuriate me and call me Mary?"

Tristan looked at his feet, feeling thoroughly chastised. Finally, he said, really softly, so soft that she probably wouldn't have been able to hear it if she was brushing her teeth; "I'm sorry. I won't call you Mary if you don't want me to."

Rory stilled. She couldn't believe it, were her ears deceiving her, or did Tristan Dugrey really just apologize? "Why do you insist on calling me Mary?"

Tristan frowned, thinking about her question thoughtfully. He couldn't help it, he just called her Mary without thinking. Although she didn't flat-out say that she didn't want him to call her Mary, he knew she would if he gave her the wrong answer. "I think you're different from everyone else, a little bit more pure and honorable. You would stand up for a cause you think is right, even if everyone you know is against it and for that, I admire you. You do not have to be someone else's idea of who you should be. That's why I call you Mary, because I figure that you're as close to heaven as I can get." 

Rory was overwhelmed. "Either you're telling the truth and that you meant every word you just uttered or that you're the best liar in the world and those words are the biggest pile of BS ever."

Tristan laughed. "I was telling the truth, Mary."

Deep inside, Rory knew that he was telling the truth, and frankly it scared her. "What about my earlier question?"

Tristan looked at her thoughtfully. He knew what question she was referring to. "Am I going out with Eve?"

Rory nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

"The answer is no, I'm not."

"Really?" Rory practically shrieked. Her eyes shimmered and she felt elated. 

Tristan smiled, noticing the change in her. "Why did you want to know anyway?"

"I… uh… had a bet with Mark and he said that you and Eve… were… ah… together, and I said… umm… no you're not." 

Tristan chuckled. "C'mon Mary, you have to do better than that. Your nose is getting redder by the second."

Rory huffed. "Whether you believe it or not, I'm 5 dollars richer!"

She spun on her heel and walked off. 

Tristan shouted after her. "I saw the 180 blinks per minute, Mary!" 

The next day, after the kids were settled into the art session, Rory looked at Eve. She was filing her nails delicately, blowing on them periodically to clear the nail dust away. 

"Eve, I found out something weird."

Eve glanced up at Rory, and frowned. "What on earth are you going on about?"

Rory smiled at the bimbo. "I found out that you're not going out with Tristan after all." 

Eve rolled her eyes. "Gee, who cares? I will be going out with him. Give me a few days."

Rory laughed, the sound reverberating like thunder claps in Eve's ears. "Whatever you say."

The next session, Rory was free, but Eve had to go help out Mark. She glanced around the campsite, wondering what she should do, when she saw Tristan waving at her from the lake. She walked towards his direction slowly, noting that he wasn't in charge of a class. He must have had a free session as well. 

Rory thought he looked delectable, standing there in the lake, water dripping down his chest in rivulets. He was very tanned, and it made his blue eyes more outstanding. She wondered if she was drooling, and shut her mouth just in case she was. 

"Wassup?" asked Tristan. He smiled widely, his eyes twinkling like a thousand diamonds strewn across a blue blanket. 

Rory smiled back at him. "Nothing, actually. I've got a free session."

Tristan's smile got wider, if that was humanly possible. "Me too. Hey, do you want to do something together?"

Rory thought about it. "Like what?"

He shrugged. "Anything, I guess." All he really wanted was to spend time with her, although he wasn't sure that was wise. He fell more in love with her every second that he spent with her, and he knew that was dangerous, because she would never like him more than a friend… if he was even that. 

"Remember, we've only got one free session."

"Okay then, let's go swimming! I still haven't seen you in your swimming suit yet."

Rory squealed. "Ooh okay, but I have to change first. I have to tell you though, that I can't swim all that well." 

Tristan smirked. "I'll be there, Mary."

Rory's eyebrow quirked. "Are you being insinuating?"

"Depends. Do you want me to be?"

Rory laughed, reached down and splashed him with water. "You're impossible." 

After much water splashing, Tristan asked, "We're friends, right?" 

Rory looked at him, surprised. "I guess so, why?"

Tristan smiled, grabbed hold of her ankle, and pulled her down in the water with him.

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TO BE CONTINUED… 

PLEASE REVIEW! 


	9. She's not worth it

**Thank you so much for all those reviews you guys have sent me, they're like the rainbow after the rain! Keep on reviewing! **

Chapter 9: She's not worth it

Rory gasped, feeling the water cascade over her head like a tidal wave. She touched the bottom floor of the lake, kicked off and surfaced. "Tristan! I'm going to kill you." was all she could say. She wanted to hit him, really badly, and she didn't care that it contradicted with her no-violence personality. 

Tristan smiled at her infuriatingly. "Look, Mary. You could try, but please excuse me if I laugh occasionally, as the idea of being killed by a *lady whose shirt is see-through is ludicrous."

Rory glanced down at herself, saw that it was indeed transparent, and wanted to die right there. "Oh hell."

Tristan couldn't help but burst out laughing. If he kept it in any longer, his face would have turned purple. 

Rory frowned at him as she tried to cover herself up unsuccessfully. She sank down, just the right amount so that the water covered her breasts but let her breathe. "You're enjoying this aren't you, Bible Boy?"

Tristan laughed harder. "You know the answer to that."

Rory swatted at him, but realized too late that it uncovered her breasts. Finally, after a few seconds of avoiding her hits, Tristan got out of the water. 

"Tristan!" Rory yelled. "You can't just leave me here like this!"

There was no reply. Rory's face sank into her hands, as she bemoaned at her position and wondered if she could ever outlive this experience. Finally, after about 30 seconds of mourning, Tristan reappeared, holding a fluffy white towel in his hand and the most aggravating smirk on his face. He walked near the edge of the lake, squatted, and told her to come out of the lake so that he could place the towel over her. 

Rory frowned, thinking the situation over. "You'll have to close your eyes, Tristan."

"Don't you trust me?"

Rory laughed sarcastically. "You know the answer to that," said she, repeating the words he had said earlier. 

Tristan sighed. "Okay, fine. I'm closing my eyes."

Rory started to get up, but then saw the flicker of his eyelids. "No peeking, Tristan."

Tristan let out a sigh worthy of hurricane standard, but he complied to her wishes. "You are such a killjoy, Mary."

Rory wrapped herself around the towel, and ran off to her cabin to change. 

She couldn't find her black swimming suit. Seriously, it was nowhere to be found. She started to panic, wondering how she was going to get through the summer without a dip in the lake. Then, right at the bottom of her canvas bag, she discovered a plastic bag with a yellow post-it that read: Hey sweetheart, I hid your black suit, and replaced it with these two fabulous body hugging suits that will have all the boys sweatin' after you! Have fun! - Mum.

Rory tentatively looked at the contents of the plastic bag. She was flabbergasted. She didn't even think that they were legal! One was a matching baby blue whilst the other was a sparkly pink. They were both designed to display the most flesh as possible. She groaned to herself as she vowed never again to let her mum near her luggage, even if she did entice her away with the offer of coffee. 

Rory frowned, as she tentatively took out the baby blue one. She had no choice but to wear one of them, and she chose this one. 

Tristan was happily floating on his back, letting the rays warm his skin when he heard Rory call out his name. He stood up, glanced towards the direction of the call and practically had a coronary when he saw what she was wearing. She had on a bikini - baby blue nonetheless, to bring out the color of her eyes, and he could swear that she didn't know the power of that little thing on him. It was lethal and could virtually bring guys to their knees. 

It was a few seconds before he could bring himself to talk. "Wow, Mary. I didn't know you had it in you to wear something like that."

Rory flushed. "I don't think I would have if my mum didn't replace my old but comfortable black Speedos® with this." 

Tristan laughed really loudly. "I know I haven't met your mum and all, but I'm starting to like her a lot!" 

"I'll introduce her to you... maybe," shot back Rory. 

Tristan smiled widely as he realized that Rory envisioned a future with the both of them together. Well not together together, but together as friends. That was enough for him, maybe he could work on it, make her realize that they would be unstoppable together. 

Rory cannon-balled into the lake, splashing water all over him. Tristan faked outrage and started chasing after her. Rory started to run away but wasn't fast enough as his hands snaked around her waist and clasped her tightly to him. She couldn't breathe as her senses went into overload. She could feel his sculpted muscles at her back. 

"I can't believe you did that," whispered Tristan into her ear, tickling her senseless. She wanted to giggle but realized that it wasn't appropriate in this scene.

"Payback's a cow," she whispered back. She whirled around as he loosened his grip on her, but couldn't escape. She was in an even more compromising position than before, as she was now staring straight into his chest. It was a nice chest, but... she didn't feel comfortable being this close with only small pieces of clothing between the two of them. It made her feel like she had just gone through an electric shock.

She looked up at him, and discovered that his blue eyes were staring deeply into hers. He bent down slowly, leaving her enough space so that she could turn away if she wanted to. She didn't, instead she stood up on her tip toes, closed her eyes... and then...

"RRRRIIIIIIIIIIIING!" 

She jumped back hurriedly as she heard the bell that signalled the end of that session. It was time for lunch. Rory bit her lip, staring at Tristan who was breathing slowly but deeply, trying to control himself. She didn't know what just happened, but she did know that if the bell didn't ring when it did, she would have kissed Tristan. And that thought scared her to pieces as it only confirmed that she liked him as more than a friend.

"We have to go now, Tristan." 

Tristan sighed. He hated that stupid bell. 

Over the next few days, they grew rapidly closer; their relationship blossoming like a flower would if it had been previously deprived of sunlight. Their previous non-kiss was a taboo subject which neither of them wanted to talk about just yet. Instead, they had fun, playing in the sun and bantering back and forth like nobody's business. They were friends in the real sense of the word. 

Unfortunately for them, this newly developed friendship seemed like an open taunt to Eve, and she was one of those people who didn't take challenges too well. She felt as if Rory had taken her 'man' away from her, and she would endeavor to get him back. 

Tristan was putting away the kayaks he had taken out in the morning as the sun was almost setting and the lake was off-limits. He was lovingly washing it out, when he heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps. 

He turned around quickly, his military school training quickly coming into use; his body poised in the defensive stance that all militants were taught. He glanced in the direction of the noise and came face-to-face with Eve. 

He greeted her politely, and slowly uncurled his body from the protective position. "Hello Eve." 

Eve smiled seductively at him. "Hey Tristan," said she in a low husky voice designed merely for enticement. 

He didn't like the way she was smiling at him, it reminded him of those mindless bimbos back in Hartford who only knew how to screw your brains out. "What are you doing here, Eve? I thought you're supposed to be helping Rory tidy up the workstation." He kept his voice tirelessly neutral. 

Eve rolled her eyes. "Oh, we finished early. You know how Rory is, she works fast."

Tristan wondered if Eve had just blithely insulted Rory, but ignored it, as he didn't think anyone would be stupid enough to belittle Rory to his face. Then, he wondered if this conversation was leading someplace. He didn't realise that he had spoken out loud the last part.

Eve cocked her eyebrow at him. "Of course, I want to show you what you're missing."

Tristan laughed, that was a come-on he had used back when he was an inexperience 12 year old, and discovered to his chagrin, that it only made women sniggle. After he calmed down, he said snidely, "It's okay, Eve. I don't mind missing it some more." 

Eve wanted to scream at this guy. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of signature brown hair that could only belong to Rory. Her original plan was to make out with Tristan and then relay her experiences to crush Rory, but now that the little bitch was here to witness it, all the better. She took a step forward, swung her arms around Tristan's neck and kissed him, all in one smooth move. 

Tristan was speechless. He sluggishly tried to untangle Eve's hands from around his neck, but discovered that the grip she had there was as strong as a vice. He put more of his strength to untangle it, and just before he could succeed, he heard an outraged gasp. He wrung Eve's arms, swung her around and stared into the very shell-shocked eyes of Lorelai Leigh Gilmore. Before he could say anything, she rotated and ran off into the direction of the forest. 

His limbs came to life as he prepared to run after her. Just before he took a step though, his hand was roughly snatched back. 

Eve stood there, breathing heavily, her eyes still heavily lidded. "Where are you going, Tristan?"

Tristan motioned somewhat in the direction that Rory took off in. He was severely agitated and wanted to give this little slut a slap, but then again, he was a gentleman, and gentlemen don't hit women. No matter how much they sorely deserved it. 

Eve frowned as she realized her plan was not working. She had envisioned Rory seeing her and Tristan making out heavily, but not that Tristan would care that much about Rory. "She's not worth it." 

Tristan's face became concrete, his features taut and stressed. When he spoke, his voice was low and gravelly. "Au contraire, Eve, she's worth everything." 

Before she could reply, Tristan had already shaken out of her grip, and was already running after the girl that held his heart in her hand.

**TO BE CONTINUED **

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**Review please! I'd really appreciate it a lot! Even better if you have any suggestions to make! **


	10. Honesty is the best policy

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Oh freaking hell - thanks heaps for the loadsa reviews you guys sent me! Very inspirational! And the getting lost idea is cool; maybe I'll incorporate it into this story. 

**Some parts of this chapter is just totally confusing - sorry!! My bad. **

Chapter 10: Honesty is the best policy

Rory didn't know where she was heading; all she knew was that she had to get away. She had to get away from Tristan; she had to get away from all that he was making her feel. And, oh… was that rain? She felt her cheeks, and was astounded to figure out that it wasn't rain, it was tears. She was crying. She was crying over that jerk! Rory rubbed her cheeks stubbornly, commanding herself not to cry, but deep down she knew it was useless. 

Tristan could easily track Rory, as the marks she left behind were so obvious. Branches snapped from their usual place, leaves stepped on, and the snapped twigs. Soon enough, he was within shouting distance. 

"Rory, stop! It's not what you think," he proclaimed loudly. 

Rory sniffled quietly, and turned around to see just how far away he was. She shouted back at him, furious at him for lying to her and herself for actually caring what he did. "I don't see how you'd know what I think."

Tristan scowled even as he kept running. "It's written all over your face."

Rory scoffed. "Tristan, I don't need to hear any more words from a fabricator." 

She glanced back again, and it was unfortunate that she did, since a tree root now blocked her way and she was doomed to trip over it. She closed her eyes immediately as she felt herself falling down, but instead of the cold rock-hard ground she was expecting; she was held against a tightly bundled warm wall of muscles. Tristan had put on an extra burst of speed and caught up with Rory just in time to save her from a bruised body. 

Tristan frowned down at the little chit. "You do know that you could have killed yourself don't you, running at that speed in this forest?"

She bared her teeth at him in the most feline grin she could muster, and pulled herself away from his impromptu embrace. "I would rather kill myself than be around scum like you," she bit out, her eyes flashing dangerously. Rory lowered herself slowly to the floor, feeling that she needed a little break from that unexpected bout of exercise.

"And we're back to the petty insults," said Tristan dryly, as he crossed his arms over his chest, perhaps as an act of deviance, or perhaps even to put a little distance between himself and the fire-breathing dragon before him. 

Rory blinked furiously, trying to quell the future onslaught of tears. Tristan glanced down at the girl who sat on the forest floor, and was surprised to see that her eyes were twinkling frenziedly with what he suspected was tears. He didn't think she was the type to cry over frivolous and unimportant matters. 

He bent down before her, his right knee on the ground, for he could never stand to see a girl cry over him, even when it wasn't really his fault. He brought his hand up, gently brushing away the fat tear that trickled down her rosy cheeks. Rory's breath caught at the strangely gentle gesture, but pushed his hand hurriedly away in what could be perceived as symbolic. By that simple action, she was pushing him away from her life. 

Tristan sighed, and wondered if she would believe him even if he told her the truth. Breathing deeply, he said softly but full of feeling, "I apologize for everything I've said or done that has hurt you." 

The vague reminder that he knew he had hurt her and still believed he could, was more than her battered pride could stand. 

"What makes you think that anything you say or do could hurt me?" said Rory in the most disdainful voice she could conjure. 

Tristan looked at her in surprise. Now that he thought about it, was Rory crying just because she saw him in a most compromising lip-locked position with that hussy of a counselor? But then again, if his theory were right, that would mean that Rory was… jealous. That was impossible, right? He could almost laugh out loud if the situation hadn't been so serious. 

"Mary, are you jealous?" he asked her in that blunt manner he carried with ease. 

Rory scoffed at him, as she felt her cheeks getting hotter. "Of you kissing _Eve_? In your dreams, Tristan." Almost as if in an afterthought, she added, "And don't call me Mary." 

Tristan sat down besides her, his legs straight out in from of him as he leaned back against the tree trunk in what was essentially a comfortable position. His face was thoughtful as he contemplated what he should say to Rory. Maybe it was time to tell her what he really felt. Maybe… 

He cleared his throat and it sounded extremely loud to him; it was his death sentence. "Mary, remember what I said… that the most important factor in a relationship is honesty, and it seems that we don't have much of that right now." 

Rory squirmed on the ground, and turned to look at him square in the eye. If looks could kill, he would have been a pile of dust on the ground. She had stopped crying, but the evidence was still left behind. Her eyes were shining suspiciously and there were tear trails down her cheeks. "You want me to be honest, is that it?"

He nodded. 

"Fine. I was crying over how wrong my judgment of you was. I was crying because you told me a lie straight to my face without even hesitating once. I was crying because I was actually thinking that I'm beginning like you as more than a friend." She paused, taking in a shaky breath. "Be rest assured though, that my inappropriate thoughts are replaced with some that are more fitting." 

Tristan bit his lip in surprise. His Mary was actually thinking of him in that way? Okay, maybe not _his_ Mary, but… still… He had dreamed of it for so long, but dream was all he ever did. Now that it actually was reality, he didn't know how to act and what to say. And when he was shocked… 

The old Tristan came back, infuriating smirk and all. "You know, Mary, you should find out the truth before you proclaim me a liar."

Rory scowled. "The truth was right in front of my eyes, Tristan. What else am I supposed to believe? You were kissing Eve, after you said that you had no romantic inclination towards her."

Tristan could scream at the complications of the situation, and after that shake Rory for losing faith in him. "'If you had only got there a few seconds before, you would have seen that it was Eve who kissed me, not the other way around." 

"You're kidding," said Rory, aghast. She wondered if that was really true, and mentally berated herself for not thinking of that earlier on. She could have been saved from this most embarrassing situation. 

"I wouldn't kid about something like this," said Tristan seriously. 

Before she could stop herself, a beatific grin worked its way onto her face. She knew that there was something odd about the defensive stance that he had crouched into. She knew it, she knew it, she knew it! She almost wanted to launch into the demented happy dance that she and her mum had 'invented' one day a long, long time ago. She was ready to do something even more drastic when she caught herself, but then thought, 'what the hell, you only live once', so she leaned over, and placed a juicy kiss on Tristan's fairly astonished lips. 

His mouth quirked itself into a smile as he asked, "What was that for, Mary?" 

Rory shrugged rather insecurely. "Oh, you know… just for being you." She wanted to smack herself for that lame sentence. 

Tristan smiled as he heard the words come out of Rory's mouth. Maybe it was time…

"Hey Rory -" he started off. 

But he was interrupted when Rory stared at him in disturbance. "That's the first time you actually called me by my real name without meaning it to be snide or insinuating."

Tristan brushed her comment off with a wave of his arm and an insinuating smirk although it didn't really match his usual standard. "Don't interrupt me, _Mary_, or I'll do something that _you_ might regret." If his heart beat got any faster; it would probably jump itself out of his chest. Eew gross.

"Oh, okay fine," said Rory tersely, speculating whether she would like what he was going to say next. His tone of voice had suddenly gone much more solemn.

Tristan took a deep breath. "Would you like to go out with me?" 

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TO BE CONTINUED… 


	11. What's biting your ass?

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Author's note: Oh crap, I'm really sorry people for not updating sooner. REALLY! It's just that my parents have been called into court for their divorce and I'm supposed to give some stupid testimony and I was really upset about that… so yeah…

Thank you for so many heartening comments, I love you guys for them! There are some people who wanted to know if I'm continuing with 'Chloe's Tale'… I'll try but I'm kinda stumped as to where the story is going. Sorry, give me some opinions please! 

Anyway, here's the next chapter, sorry for taking up so much space. 

Chapter 11: What's biting your ass? 

Rory stared open-mouthed at the guy next to her, her eyes wide open, the blood slowly draining from her face until it was pasty. She opened her mouth to say something, closed it again because she thought it was unsuitable, and repeated the process, thus making her look like a fish out of water. 

Tristan sighed, and ruffled his already messy blond hair. His lips thinned as he spoke his thoughts out loud. "I don't mind what your answer is, Mary. We'll always be friends, no matter what." 

Rory glanced at him, and she giggled. She actually _giggled_, but she stopped after she saw his confused expression. "You just made my mind up for me, silly," were the only words she managed to get out before she collapsed in hysterics again. 

Tristan glanced at the heavens, wandering how on earth he got stuck with this insane girl. "Which is?" he prompted, his heart beating real fast. 

Rory stopped laughing (again) and smiled at him. "Of course I will."

Tristan breathed a sigh of relief, and leaned back, his arm cushioning his head. "Do you know something, I'm really glad that you didn't say no." He flashed a disarming grin at her and a quick wink. "You would have been the first to ever say no to the multi-talented, extremely gorgeous, and freakishly sensuous Tristan Janlen Dugrey."

Rory gave him a mighty punch in the arm. "Get off your high chair, Tristan. It doesn't suit you."

Tristan burst out laughing as he felt the almost non-existent pain that her punch brought him. "You punch like a girl."

Rory rolled her eyes. "I _am_ a girl, you doofus."

Tristan shook his head. "I'm not a doofus, I am a multi-talented ---"

Rory broke him off by snaking her arm around his neck and clapping her lips over his, effectively silencing him. What was meant to be quick and fast turned out to be long and slow. When they broke off from the impromptu make-out session a few seconds later, both were breathing heavily.

"That, that was - wow - where - how --- " muttered Tristan. 

Rory smirked at him, her cheeks flushed, and she said something that was uncharacteristically Rory-like. "It's not every day you see Tristan Dugrey speechless."

Tristan glanced down at her pouty lips that had turned itself into _his_ smirk, and retaliated with one of his own. "It would if I get something like that _every_ _single_ _day_." He paused, thinking about it carefully. "Preferably more than once a day though, that is, if you don't mind obliging…"

Rory shook her head exasperatedly as she tried not to laugh. Tristan will always be Tristan. She glanced around her surroundings, and saw that the sun was almost setting. "Oh crap, Tris. We've got to get out of this forest before nightfall."

Tristan stood up, and pulled Rory up with him. "Yeah, you're right. C'mon, let's go."

__

An hour later

"We've been going around in circles," whined Rory as she trudged behind Tristan.

Tristan sighed. "No we haven't."

Rory pointed at a fallen log that lay on their right. "That's the same log that we passed fifteen minutes ago.

"No it isn't."

"Yes it is."

"No it isn't."

"You need glasses, Tristan."

"It's you who need glasses, Mary."

"Go away!"

"You first!"

"I don't want to!"

"We're lost," said Rory, stating the obvious, although reluctant to believe in it.

"Can you just stop complaining?" said Tristan nastily before he could stop himself.

Rory's mouth straightened itself automatically, and she turned away from him. Tristan mentally slapped himself for saying something like that, especially when he knew that she must be going out of her mind in worry. 

He placed his hands on her shoulders, and rotated her around. Her eyes were cast on the floor, suddenly taking an interest in the leaves that made a crunch sound when you stepped on them. "I'm sorry, Mary, really. I'm a little touchy, because I can't seem to get us out of this forest, and with you only dressed in that" - his eyes raked over her camp shirt and some fairly short shorts - "it'd be a little cold when night falls."

Rory nodded at him, and met his gaze. "I'm sorry too, I didn't mean to be like that. It's just that I'm ---"

"Worried," finished Tristan off. 

Rory nodded again. "Yeah."

"Hang on, I gotta find something." Tristan fumbled around in his pockets, looking for the box of matches he was sure was in there somewhere. Finally, after a while, he triumphantly brandished a box of matches. 

Rory glanced at it, then burst out laughing, forgetting that she was supposed to not get along with Tristan. "What normal person carries along a box of matches with them?"

Tristan shrugged apologetically and smiled winsomely at her. "One of my campers was fooling around with it, so I confiscated it and placed it in my pocket. Must've forgotten to take it out."

"I'm glad," smiled Rory. 

"Help me gather some dry wood," said he to Rory. "Don't go too far."

Rory saluted him mockingly. "Yes, sir."

He bent down, and began placing rocks in a circle so as to stop the fire from getting out of control. Rory unceremoniously dumped the pile of sticks she had managed to gather, and sat down on the ground, watching him as he dumped a few other dry leaves into their crude fire making stuff. Tristan glanced at her sitting down there, rubbing her hands up and down her time-old arms in a gesture to stay warm. He took off his jacket and handed it to her without a word, which reminded him of something.

"Hey, Mary, remember that jacket I leant you when you were sitting on the swing?"

Rory nodded, remembering the wonderfully warm jacket that had Tristan's scent all over it.

"You never gave it back," he added.

Rory blushed, as she remembered what she had done with it. She hand folded it under her pillow as if it was a token from Elvis as it was a gesture of warmth. Tristan glanced at her flushed complexion and smiled knowingly. 

"Never mind, you can keep it." He paused to blow a little on the small fire. "But you better give me that one back."

Rory smiled at him as she put on the jacket. "Thanks."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the camp, a girl who had a knack of giving long and boring speeches and a tendency of talking to her own self was pacing around the canteen floor nervously. Finally, Jess, who couldn't stand it anymore, stood up and went over to the girl. He leaned against a pillar casually observing her frantic movements.

"What's biting your ass, Gellar?" he asked.

Paris looked up at the person whom the voice came from, momentarily off-track. Then, her old self came back. "Nothing's biting my ass, Mariano."

Jess shook his head wryly. "I'd prefer it if you call me Jess."

"Only if you call me Paris," shot back the girl.

Jess shrugged. "You're on." 

Silence overcame them for a while. "So, why exactly are you grounding the floor into mere dust?"

Paris put up her hands, feeling rather frustrated. "Have you seen Rory? Or Tristan, for that matter?"

Jess laughed softly under his breath, cursing Tristan for the effect he had on girls. He didn't know Paris still liked Tristan that way though, and he sure as hell didn't know why that bothered him. "Probably making out somewhere." He paused. "What's the matter, are you jeolous?"

Paris grimaced. "Got over that a long time ago." Jess instantly felt as though a huge weight had been taken off him. "I haven't seen Rory or Tristan since she went off to see him, and that was-" she glanced at her watch. "Two hours ago!"

"Oh fuck," said Jess, catching on to why Paris was in this state. "Have you said anything to Linda?"

"No, it could just be a false alarm." 

Jess strode forward, grabbed her arm and walked off to the General Cabin, where Linda and Andrew resided. He flung the door open, catching both Linda and Andrew in surprise. They were doing their dishes: Linda washing, and Andrew drying in harmony that derived from years of being together.

Andrew glanced at them, confusion written all over his face. "Jess? Paris? What are you doing here?"

Paris paused to take a breath. "I think Rory and Tristan are missing."

Shocked looks came from both of the married pair, and Paris hurriedly continued. "I've looked all over the campus, knocked on all of the outhouses, in all of the cabins, and they're nowhere to be found! Nowhere!" 

****

tO bE cONTINUED…

Please review, it'll make me feel much more better and I MIGHT write the next chapter if people are encouraging enough. * grin * But you don't have to review if you don't want to… * sigh * Okay? 


	12. Lost and Found

****

Thank you for all the reviews, you've all been very extremely kind! 

For the people who want to know what's up with Chloe's Tale, it's being reworked, because it doesn't quite meet my standard. And * whisper * don't tell anyone, but I removed the chapters and I forgot that I didn't save them on my hard drive, so now I don't even have the basic plot to refer back to. * smack myself on the head * I feel so stupid! I blame it on… my HAMSTER! * groan * Now I feel stupider. 

Chapter 12: Lost and Found

Linda took a deep breath as she tried to calm herself down. "Okay. The sun's down so we're going to need some torches. There are some heavy-duty ones in that drawer over there - Paris, please take out eight and line them up on the table. Andrew and I know the forest like the back of our hands so it wouldn't be that hard to find them. Jess please gather 4 other counselors - Trent, Kaye, DJ, and Su-Ann, and we'll pair off. Meet back here in 10 minutes." 

She cleared her throat, and gave them a shaky grin. "Well, go on then. Shoo! We're wasting time!"

Paris and Jess immediately went off to do what they were asked to do, whilst Andrew went to gather some maps that outlined the forest. The forest wasn't all that huge, but it could be enormous if you didn't know your way around it. 

Linda heard a knock on the door, and wondered who it was. 

"Come in," called out Andrew, his voice slightly muffled as he bent down to search in the cabinets. 

Linda looked up for a while. The door creaked open, and Lorelai's face popped out from behind it.

Linda looked down, and then up again in surprise when her brain registered who was at the door. Wait, _Lorelai_?!"

Lorelai cleared her throat slightly. "Hey, Linda!" she chirped brightly. 

Linda was still quite shocked. "Lorelai! What are you doing here?" 

Lorelai walked and gave Linda a hug. "We decided to drop in and see how Rory's doing because we missed her!" 

"We?" asked Linda puzzled. 

Lorelai nodded enthusiastically. "Yep - me and my coffee supplier!"

"Your _what_?" asked Linda, flabbergasted. 

"Well, his name is Luke!" She turned around, and called out, "Luke-y, honey! Come in, don't be shy! No one will know about your obsession with… uh… um, ya know. I promise I won't tell them!"

A tall, broad shouldered man strode into the General Cabin. He was wearing flannel and a baseball hat, although it was already night. He strode forward and shook Linda's hand firmly.

"I'm Luke. Pleased to meet you."

"Linda," said she.

Andrew strode up to the little group exchanging hellos, and extended a hand to Luke.

"Hello, I'm Andrew, Linda's husband."

Luke nodded politely, and you could see that he wasn't very comfortable in this situation. He glared at Lorelai, who pretended that she didn't notice that he was feeling distinctly upset with her.

Lorelai smiled at Andrew. "Hey! It's good to see you again."

Andrew grinned. "It's been what, five years?"

Lorelai reddened slightly. "Well, yeah, sorry about that, I would have come up to see you guys more often, but I've been kind of busy."

Linda smiled. "Don't worry about it, the same is true for us." 

The door burst open unceremoniously a few seconds later, and in walked in Jess, Trent, Kaye, Su-Ann and DJ.

Jess stopped in his tracks and stared, gob-smacked, at a very familiar back. 

"Uncle Luke?" he asked incredulously.

Luke turned around and saw Jess. "Jess? What are you doing here? I thought you'd be spending your summer at New York."

Lorelai elbowed Luke. "What he meant was, it's nice seeing you again."

Luke grumbled under his breath about insanely sharp elbows and disappearing nephews. 

"Oh, I had to get away from the city life," muttered Jess. 

Luke wanted to laugh at the very un-Jess like comment, but kindly refrained from doing so.

Luke glared at Jess. "You and I need to have a little talk…"

The counselors sat in a semi circle around the middle table as the waited for instructions from the heads of the camp. 

Andrew handed each pair a map, and passed out the torches. 

He cleared his throat slightly, and motioned for Luke and Lorelai to take a seat.

"We have a small problem," said he. "Two counselors are thought to be lost in the forest."

Trent laughed slightly. "Are you sure? Maybe it's just that they don't want to be found. You know, they want to gather some stolen moments."

Linda raised an eyebrow. "Please remain quiet, Trent. Anyway, the two are Tristan and Rory."

She darted a quick look at Lorelai, whose face had slowly turned the colour of puce. 

"Oh my god!" exclaimed Lorelai. A worried Luke instantly put his hand around her shoulders to calm her down.

Linda added quickly, "But don't worry, Rory couldn't have chosen a better person to get lost in the forest with. Tristan is a very dependable and qualified in various safety and survival skills. I'm sure they'll be fine." 

"Now, you're all given part of the forests to search in. Trent and Kaye, you'll take Part A, Jess and Paris, Part B, DJ and Su-Ann, Part C, and Andrew and I will take Part D. We will therefore have everything covered. I want you to watch out for trampled ground, signs of smoke, and any other disturbances. In case you have found them, signal it with a flare. We'll meet here in 30 minutes, or before that if we're lucky. Any questions?" 

Lorelai raised her hand. "Umm, Linda. I don't think I can stay here whilst my little girl is walking around the forest lost."

Linda chuckled. "It's okay, Lorelai. We _will_ find them. Just stay here and help yourself to coffee."

Lorelai immediately brightened up after she heard that there was coffee in this place. 

"Right then," said Linda. "Let's go." 

Tristan sat on the forest floor, and motioned for Rory to sit in between his legs. She obliged hurriedly, as she had just heard some sounds that sounded like animals.

"Are there, umm… any lions here?" she whispered.

Tristan chuckled slightly. "No, Mary."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Why are we whispering?"

"You started it!"

Rory laughed. "You continued it."

Tristan rolled his eyes. "Okay, Mary. The current argument is pointless and leading nowhere."

Rory nodded vehemently. "I agree."

"So, how has school been?"

Rory smiled. "It's great I guess. A bit overloaded on the homework side, but it's worth it to get the recommendations that Chilton has to offer."

Tristan frowned thoughtfully. "Ah. How was graduation?"

"Okay, although I got a little bit nervous when I had to the co-valedictorian speech. There was just so many people there."

Tristan kissed the top of her head as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Mm-hmm. Your hair smells great."

Rory laughed out loud. "Thank you."

"I mean it," insisted Tristan, a twinkle in his eye. 

They stopped talking but the silence was comforting. It was like a blanket that surrounded them, astounding in its serenity. 

Tristan placed his chin on top of Rory's head, and that stance was so comfortable that they stayed that way. 

__

Five minutes later

"RORY!!!!!!! TRISTAN!!!!!!!!"

Rory perked up slightly. "Did you hear that?" 

Tristan nodded. "OVER HERE!" he yelled back.

A few seconds later, they saw two dark figures heading their way. When Rory saw who it was, she ran up to Jess and gave him a hug, then did the same to Paris.

"I'm so glad you guys are here!" said Rory, her face beaming.

Paris shone the light at her face. "You look okay, you're not hurt, good good."

Rory groaned, and blocked the light. "Paris! That's really bright!"

"Oops, sorry," said Paris as she turned off the light.

Jess looked suspiciously at Tristan. "How did you guys get here?"

Rory shrugged. "Long story."

Tristan walked forward and put his arm around her shoulders. Jess eyed his arm skeptically. 

"Did he hurt you, Rory?"

Rory shook her head vehemently. "Nopes."

"Oh, good." Jess fiddled around, searching for the flare-gun in his jacket. When he finally found it, he shot it out into the air, making it shoot out bursts of flame. 

Tristan sprinkled some sand over the fire, thus extinguishing it, and they walked out of the forest silently behind Jess and Paris, feeling that it wasn't the time to talk. Rory sagged on Tristan, practically walking like a drunken sailor because she was _that_ tired. 

When she walked into the General Cabin and saw her mother there, she was so surprised she almost screamed.

"Mum?" asked Rory. "What are you doing here?"

Lorelai ran over and gave Rory a bone-crushing hug. "Rory, if you ever do that to me again, I swear I'm going to die before I turn 40."

Rory snorted. "I'm sure you're exaggerating."

Lorelai sniffed. "Why, I'm hurt!"

Rory wriggled out of the hug, and glanced over her mum's shoulder. 

"Oh my god, you too Luke?" She ran and gave the confused Luke a hug, then stepped back, as she war aware that Luke wasn't very comfortable.

"What are you guys doing here?" asked Rory, her brow wrinkled as she thought out the possibilities. "I mean, I did tell you I'll be fine, and that I'll be back in about… 2 weeks."

Lorelai bit her lip, wondering _should I tell her now? Should I tell her later? Should I tell her now when there's so many people around?_ Then, she decided, _what the hell_?

Lorelai opened her mouth and held out her left hand to Rory to show her the ring. "I'm engaged!" 

****

To be continued…

****

Be a darlin' and review please… pretty please? 

Oh, and if you want to be informed of an update, you can say so in the review and I'll add you to my extremely short list of people… lol… I'm serious! It's so short it's embarrassing! So, whatcha say? 


	13. Comparisons with Brad Pitt

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I seem to have contracted writer's block! AAAHHH - anyway, this is just a light fluffy chapter, you don't need your brain attached to understand it… 

I just wanted to say that racism sucks, especially when you're at the receiving end of it. I'm still quite upset about it actually. I'll explain in the next chapter if anyone asks me to… 

Ooh ya - all you secret Literatis, go read maia_shaz's story! It's different, it's fresh, it's unique! 

Thank yous go out to all the people who reviewed! Extra hugs for people who wanted to become part of my update list! 

Chapter 13: Comparisons with Brad Pitt

"You're engaged?!" repeated Rory incredulously. Her eyes flicked between her mother and the man dressed in flannel who was also known as the coffee supplier who was also known as Luke. She held her mother's hands and together they did the routine 'happy dance' that they had painstakingly perfected, right down to the left bum squiggle in the middle and a high five at the end. 

Luke rolled his eyes exasperatedly. "Lorelai, you are sometimes so immature."

Lorelai sniffled and gave him a huge grin. "Aww, you know you love me."

Linda cleared her throat. "Well, Andrew and I are going to be checking on the campers." She filed out of the General Cabin, along with Trent, Kaye, DJ and Su-Ann. 

Rory gave Luke a bear hug. "I'm so glad you finally proposed to mum! Wait - what month is it?"

"July," said Luke suspiciously. "Why?"

Rory pumped her fist into the air. "I win the pool! That's like… $119.50!" 

Luke shook his head in disbelief and left Rory with Lorelai. He then motioned to Jess to come along with him to the other side of the room so that they could have a little 'talk'. 

Tristan was amused by the banter between Lorelai and Luke, and he realized that Rory's wit had probably been influenced by Lorelai's level of craziness. He held out his hand to Lorelai. "Hi Lorelai. My name is Tristan Dugrey."

Lorelai's eyes widened in surprise. "No way! YOU'RE the Spawn of Satan?????! Ooh, by the way, you get brownie points for calling me Lorelai."

Tristan glanced at Rory enquiringly, but she only shrugged, a slightly blush tainting her cheeks. 

Lorelai turned to 'whisper' into Rory's ear; but then again it couldn't really be counted as whispering seeing that everyone who was within hearing distance could hear it. "

"You have been neglecting your duties as a daughter, Rory! Didn't I saw that there is to be no truth hidden from me, as that would prevent me from doing my duties as your mother? As a matter of fact, isn't rule number one, always state the truth, rule number two was…" stage-whispered Lorelai.

Rory grimaced, as she wondered what Lorelai was going to say next. "Get to the point, Mom."

Lorelai grinned. "Right. So why didn't you tell me that Bible Boy is hot?"

Tristan laughed out loud.

---"MOM!" yelled Rory outrageously.

---"Lorelai!" warned Luke from the other side of the room. He was lecturing Jess, saying that Jess was being a brat and shouldn't have left Stars Hollow in the first place as he let down everyone who believed in him and only proved the critics right. 

Lorelai grinned. "It's okay, Luke, I still think you're the bomb, and I will still marry you."

Luke rolled his eyes. "I wasn't worried about that. I was worried that you're corrupting people in this room."

Lorelai surveyed the room in a comical gesture. "Okay, number one, there's only you, me, Jess, Rory and Tristan here in this room. Secondly, you're already corrupted by me, the same goes for Rory, and Jess grew up in New York, so du-uh, he's probably more corrupted than me and Rory put together, and Tristan - look at that smirk on his face! - He's probably thinking dirty thoughts as I speak."

"Right," said Luke, and went back to lecturing Jess. 

Tristan grinned at Lorelai. "I like you."

Lorelai appraised him. "Yeah, well, I still haven't made up my mind about you." 

"Oh, okay then. Tell me when you have." He went and sat on a chair.

Lorelai turned to Rory. "Is there something going on between the two of you?"

"What? Between me and Tristan?"

"No," said Lorelai sarcastically. "Between you and Willy Wonka."

"That's gross mum."

"Yeah I know."

"Well, I suppose."

"Is he your boyfriend?"

"Umm, I don't think so. He just asked me out."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"Well, please do anything I would do."

"That's great mum. I'm glad I have your permission."

"Oh, except, don't go anywhere near a balcony."

Rory sighed. "Mum, this is practically in the middle of nowhere. Do you even _see_ a balcony around?"

"Well, no, but…"

"Trust me, mum, there are no balconies around, and even if there were, I wouldn't dream of doing anything indecent."

"Never say never."

"You're encouraging me to do something bad, mum."

"Oh, right, forget that."

"Right."

"Do you want me to tell you how Luke proposed to me?"

"Finally!"

"Right, so I was walking to his diner in the morning like I always do and I sat down…"

After they said goodbye to Luke and Lorelai, who were staying at the nearest inn, Tristan was walking Rory back to her cabin. He placed his arm around her shoulders as they walked. 

"Your mum is quite a character."

Rory smiled. "That's one way of saying it."

"Do you really think she meant it when she said that she'd cut me up into pieces smaller than a pin head and feed it to the chickens that Kirk is currently keeping if I hurt you?"

Rory stopped and laughed. "I wouldn't put it past her." 

"It's official. Tristan Dugrey promises that he will not do anything to purposely harm Rory Gilmore from this moment on."

A few seconds later, he stepped on her toe.

"Ow!" responded Rory. 

"That doesn't count right?" asked Tristan. 

His only answer was Rory's bubbling laughter. 

As soon as Rory stepped into her cabin, four adolescent girls immediately jumped upon her. 

"RORY!"

"Ahh - get your foot off my face!" 

"I can't breathe!"

"Me neither!" 

They slowly climbed off her. "Rory! We missed you so much!"

Tristan looked in at the bundle on the floor of the cabin and grinned. "I think that was an understatement."

Four heads swiveled his way, and they gawked at him. 

"Are you Rory's boyfriend?" asked Stella quietly.

Tristan grinned, and winked at Rory. "Am I?" 

Rory shrugged, blushing slightly under the pressure. "We'll see."

Grace looked thoughtfully at Tristan. "Hey, do you have a younger brother?"

Rory swatted at her arm. "GRACE!"

Grace had the grace **(heheh, pun intended)** to looked ashamed. "Sorry." 

Rory glanced at her watch. "Isn't it way past your bedtime?"

"Yeah, but we were so excited that you were back that we waited for you," filled up Lana. 

Holly nodded. "We missed you so much! While you were gone, we got stuck with this really horrible counselor!" 

Rory's four campers agreed with that statement. 

"Anyway, we just wanted to tell you that you're the best counselor ever!" 

Tristan chuckled. "Mary has a fan club." 

Rory looked at him, laughter in her eyes. "Do you want me to go on about _your_ fan club? The one consisting of…"

Tristan stopped her. "No, no that'll be fine."

He walked in a few steps, dropped a kiss on Rory's forehead, and waved at the girls. "Bye!"

The four girls looked at Rory, stars in their eyes.

"He looks a bit like Brad Pitt," muttered Grace. 

Rory frowned. "He does not."

"I was just kidding, jeez. He looks even _better_ than Brad Pitt."

****

To be continued…. 


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